Researchers identify gene's role in breast cancer

UK scientists have identified a critical role for a gene involved in breast cancer, opening up new directions for future treatments for the disease.

Breakthrough Breast Cancer researchers, based at the Institute of Cancer Research in London, found that the gene Tip60 is linked to breast cancer development and is also associated with aggressive forms of the disease.

Publishing their findings in Nature journal, they reveal that the tumour suppressor gene is significantly less active in breast cancer tissue compared to healthy tissue.

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Just one faulty copy of the gene, which helps to prevent uncontrolled proliferation of cells and protects their DNA, can lead to reduced levels of the vital protein.

Dr Nelofer Syed, a postdoctoral researcher at the centre, explained: 'When we are born we inherit two copies of each gene, one each from our mother and father.

'Typically with tumour suppressor genes, both copies must be faulty for their function to be lost, but we have demonstrated that the Tip60 gene stops working if only one copy is altered.'

Dr Syed said that the discovery provides a real insight into how some breast cancers develop, meaning that the link could be an important step forward in our understanding of breast cancer genes.

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